During the coronavirus epidemic, the government must pay more attention to pensioners than ever before; this is why they are gradually re-introducing the 13th month pension, Minister of State for Family and Youth Affairs Katalin Novák said on Thursday on Kossuth Radio’s programme ‘Good morning, Hungary’.

On the programme, the Minister of State highlighted that the law on the gradual re-introduction of the 13th month pension and the government decree containing the relevant detailed rules had been published in Magyar Közlöny [Hungarian Gazette].

She said they will re-introduce the 13th month pension in four steps; in the first phase, at the beginning of next year, all eligible persons will receive an extra week’s pension.

The total allocation for the one-weekly pension amounts to HUF 77 billion, and this measure will concern more than 2.5 million people. The entire one-monthly pension amount will be reached over a period of four years, she added, pointing out that everyone who is eligible for a pension or pension-like allowance will receive the extra payment.

Ms. Novák recalled that the government preserves the purchasing power of pensions which means that at the beginning of each year, they raise pensions by the planned rate of inflation, and if inflation proves to be higher than planned, they subsequently supplement it with the difference.

(Ministry of Human Capacities / MTI)